7.0 Popcorn Boxes
Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a action movie set in New York, London, and Moscow. The film also stars Chris Pine as Ryan, Keira Knightly as Dr. Kathy Muller, and Kevin Costner CIA operative Thomas Harper.
The film opens with Jack Ryan volunteering for military duty in Afghanistan after the attacks on the World Trade Center, which Ryan views on television while a student in London. His helicopter is shot down, and he is seriously injured. He's sent back to the States for rehabilitation and recovery, where he is placed under the care of Dr. Muller. He's attracted to her, and asks her out. They become a couple.
Later, he's recruited by Harper to work for the CIA. He works on Wall Street as an analyst, where he looks for terrorist activity. He goes to Moscow to look into this, where he is surprised to find Kathy in his hotel room. She's followed him, suspecting his trip is to conduct an affair. With the help of Harper, he finds that a Russian company headed by Viktor Cherenvin (Branagh) has planted a bomb on Wall Street, and who hopes to capitalize on the stock market turmoil that results from the terrorist act.
The movie unfolds as you'd expect from an action/thriller. There are explosions, fights, gunfire, car chases and unremarkable dialog, thrown in with a few kissing scenes between Ryan and Muller. The production design is very good, with London standing in for Moscow (though there are a few scenes shot in Moscow establishing outdoor shots). The movie is heavy on the action, and little character development. The acting is sufficient, though Branagh fails to convey a sense of terror and evil. Pine is somewhat wooden as Ryan, and Knightly is as lovely as ever. It's a good way to spend an evening. You get what you expect here.
No comments:
Post a Comment